Kota Kinabalu: The deaths of two SMK Pingan-Pingan students in Pitas – who were due to take the Sijil Pelajaran Malaysia exam this year – after drinking an industrial spirit-cum-energy cocktail and the record 29,663 students who did not take their SPM for 2022 should ring alarm bells for the Education Ministry.
“Both these happenings involving teenagers who are the nation’s future leaders indicate all is not well with our education system,” said Senator Datuk John Ambrose.
The students aged 17 died due to methanol poisoning after spending a week in intensive care. One of the Form 5 students died on Wednesday while the other died Thursday the Queen Elizabeth Hospital in Kota Kinabalu.
The first died from multiple organ failure due to methanol poisoning while the second of severe brain damage. They were among 27 students, aged between 13 and 17, at a boarding school in Pitas who consumed the mixture.
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“Form Five students who did not bother to sit for the SPM should be sent to boarding schools for two years to catch up with their studies and made to sit for the SPM. For students who are ‘beyond control’, they should be sent to boys home or girls home for two years as well to learn and sit for the SPM,” he said.
He said only those who are critically ill or unavailable to sit for the SPM for whatever reasons should be exempted but with prior approval of the respective district education officer.
“They could sit for the exam the following year once they recovered,” he said, adding that the problems of SPM absenteeism is not new as there were about 10,000 such cases in the 2011 session and almost the same figure in the 2010 session.
Ambrose believed the majority of absentees chose to do so and as such, Parliament must enact a law to deter students taking their studies and exams for granted.
On Thursday, Deputy Education Minister Lim Hui Ying told Parliament that 29,663 did not take the SPM, including private candidates who were registered to take one or two subjects.
Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim took a swipe at former Minister under the PN Government, Datuk Dr Radzi Jidin, who challenged the figure by claiming it was not that many. Anwar also questioned the Minister’s performance.
Ambrose said: “In Sabah, I have come across many cases of students just not be bothered with their studies. They not only play truant but also get involved in bad company. “Their parents are at wits’ end. To these parents…nothing works, be it scolding or caning. Some parents even go to the extent of seeking police help but it is futile. “These children just leave the house and mix with other students of the same behaviour or dropouts and do not bother to come home…some for weeks or months. Their parents just give up on them. They love their children but are helpless,” said Ambrose.
He also said many parents do not know their children were playing truant until informed by the school. “By the time they find out it may be too late as usually schools only inform when the matter gets out of hand such as missing 20 schooling days in three months,” he said.
Hence, he suggested that the Ministry create an app whereby parents can monitor the attendance on their handphone like practised by colleges and universities.
Ambrose said some parents even transferred their children to boarding schools such as SMK Ranau to get them as far as possible from bad influence.
“But in most cases it does not work as parents, such as those from Kota Kinabalu or Penampang have to bring back their children every weekend as the boarding school do not have wardens to keep watch on them and also no food is provided.
“It was not only troublesome for parents but most of these students when home for the weekend will ‘disappear’ and no way to be found when it was time to send them back to school…which was usually on a Sunday. In the end, it came back to a square one,” he said.
Ambrose said the Federal Government should have more boarding schools and make it a rule that students who have a history of misbehaving should not be allowed to go home for the weekend or even during holidays until they can prove that they change their character.
“Boarding schools should ensure there are wardens to look over the students during weekends and holidays. Wardens should also ensure students staying in hostels do not bring prohibited items. What happened to the Pitas case should be an eye-opener. “Parents should be allowed to visit their children at weekends and holidays. Teachers should also organise activities for these children during weekends to encourage them to be a better person,” he said, adding that secondary schools usually have more than 50 teachers and they can rotate to take care of these students at weekends.
“It means, each teacher would only have to perform such duties only once in a year and should not be a burden to them,” he said.
Ambrose said a lot of sacrifices need to be made by school administrators and teachers of boarding schools to assist guiding wayward students into the right path.
“These students are still young. They may not be that good in their studies but as least we know that with proper guidance, they will not go the wrong path,” he said. “SPM absenteeism is not new but wonder why the Ministry did not take the matter seriously,” he said, adding he would present his recommendations to Anwar during the Dewan Negara sitting next week.
“The whole education system and Standard Operating Procedures (SOP) of schools need to change. Some schools take it upon themselves to lock the school gate at 7am sharp and those who arrive a minute late are denied entry. This is too harsh as some parents were late due to traffic jam or other unforeseen circumstances.
“Schools should at least wait for 15 minutes before locking the gates and students late should have their names recorded. If the student was late for only once or twice a year it should be acceptable while those who are frequently late for school, their parents should be called in for an explanation.” Ambrose said some schools also took upon themselves to suspend or expel students from schools. “Schools are supposed to educate and guide them. Certainly some students are mischievous and bring things such as vape, cigarettes and handphone to school which were prohibited. “Disciplinary action should be taken but suspension and expelling them serve no purpose. Where do you expect these students to go? Roaming in the streets and pushing them towards bad influence?”
He also said school buses should be allowed to enter school compounds to drop off students and pick them up. “Parents sending their kids to school can ensure that they enter the school gate while school bus drivers do not ensure that.”
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